IGP Egbetokun and his extention palavar (2)

Since after its formation by the colonial master and later established as the Nigeria Police, and sequel to political necessity and with top consideration to arrest and quell increasing spate of local insecurity, experienced and well qualified Nigerians were appointed to head the police institutions as Inspector General of Police.

So far, a total of twenty three Inspectors General of Police have been appointed by different presidents.

However, record shows that the appointments had not reflected the national character.

For instance, while the North East has produced four Inspectors General of Police, the North West produced five lGPs.

Also, the South South part of the country has produced three lGPs and the South West five lGPs.  Others are the South East with only two lGPs and the North Central credited with three lGPs.

The appointment pendulum has over the years been swinging only to top senior officers who are preferred candidates based on ethnic, religious considerations instead of past track records that are based on professionalism and discipline.

It is a well known fact that lGP Egbetokun was once the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he was the Governor of Lagos State before his promotion to the next rank, which temporarily  separated him from Governor Tinubu until the new “marriage”, which was made possible immediately Tinubu was elected as the President.

Sequel to Tinubu’s election, it became very obvious that laid down criteria usually considered before an officer’s name could be penciled down or considered for selection, may not be thoroughly adhere to had the officer been another candidate.

After spending eight years as police attaché to an executive politician, many had argued that he ought to have been posted to the administrative arm or section of the Nigeria Police instead of the office of the Inspector General of  Police, an office that takes into consideration several  aspects and qualities of the candidate, instead of the ‘Nigerian factor’.

If one is to base his argument on the appointment statistics earlier compiled, it would be observed that out of the twenty three appointees, the higher percentage is from the North western and South western parts of the country: both sections of the country that have produced five lGPs apiece, while the entire eastern part of the country has produced only two Inspectors General of Police.   

As much as the best officer is appointed, not a situation where past perceived misdeeds are used to deprive that section of the country, then reasoning minds would immediately question the rationale behind the continuous detention of repentant leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (lPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kalu.

Truly, if justice must be followed, a qualified officer of eastern extraction ought to be the next lGP.

The issuance of the second appointment letter to Egbetoku has once again raised some disturbing dust just like his initial appointment. Legal minds argue that the relevant provisions of the laws applicable to this situation are: S. 215(a) of the 1999 Const. as well as S. 28(c) of the 3rd Schedule to the Constitution.

Ss. 7(6) & 18(8) of the Police Act, 2020. The foregoing sections speak to the appointment and retirement of the Inspector General of Police. Those provisions are explicit enough as per the regularity of his appointment and exit date either by service for 35 years or attainment of 60 years of age, whichever comes first.

However, what’s left is whether it is appropriate to issue to the same IGP double appointment letters after his initial engagement letter.

In my view, it’s inappropriate to do so because the law operational, in this case, is the law in operation when he was appointed in the first instance.

Others postulate that police law needs urgent amendments in order to reflect the need for national character.

This is part of the reason many are clamouring for a STATE POLICE SYSTEM in the country.

Meanwhile, the present police, from every indication, seems the presidency found the situation very necessary  since they had waited for him to complete his tenure when he completed the one year. So they found another opportunity, which according to former Inspector General of Police, Dr Solomon Arase, “they waited for this long period before disclosing that he was appointed for four years. #NdiApari!

This letter actually creates a problem for him. As at November, 2023, Section 7(6) of the Police Act was qualified by Section 18(7) of the same Act, which requires that all police officers are to retire at the attainment of the age of 60 years, or upon serving for a period of 35 years, whichever comes first.

The IGP has attained the age of 60 already. Also, this appointment letter wasn’t done when they hurriedly amended Section 18 of the Police Act wherein they extended retirement age to 65 years.

So, can one not argue that this appointment was impossible to be for 4 years then, since the man didn’t have 4 years to serve the Police as at the time of the said appointment?”

In all of these, the Presidency that issued what is being considered in the security circle as “controversial appointment letter” should be withdrawn to avoid the palaver it has been creating among security community and the unnecessary stain it has stamped on the image of the Nigeria police.

The unfortunate comments this underground manouvering of police does not speak well of an officer whose entire tenure was clouded in high number of police death and increase in internal insecurity.

While tongues lack in-depth knowledge of operational  exercise. The defect of his one year tenure was the low morale that suddenly sprang up among police officers. Among his failed operational policy was the establishment of a 40,000 supposedly trained policemen for special operations across the country.

The policy was dead on arrival. Also, his tenure as the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of zone seven , Abuja covering Abuja, Niger and Kaduna states,  witnessed more terrorists attacks than his predecessor, as terrorists kidnapped and killed many in those states.

In today’s situation, Nigeria needs not only an operational lGP, but one with operational and administrative sagacity.